Mother and Child
by sadbird
Summary: Six-year-old Itachi's last moments in his mother's arms. A mother and child moment. Non-massacre. Edited.


Ola! New story everyone! I sincerely hope you enjoy it.

Dislaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, I would have cured Itachi a long time ago :(

**Please note that this happened way before the Uchiha Massacre, something that will NEVER happen because Itachi is sick. Itachi is six years old here and is dying from his illness. This is a mother and son moment.**

* * *

Mikoto gently held Itachi to her chest as he coughed heavily and painfully. She rubbed his back because that was the only thing she could do now.

When his coughing fits stopped, she rocked the six-year-old child in her arms, soothing him as he panted from exhausting and fatigue and slumped in her arms.

Itachi was diagnosed with a deadly disease around five years ago and the medics couldn't find any cure for him. Once Mikoto found out about the incurable illness, she wouldn't stop crying and hugging her only child and later grew to be very overprotective of him.

The disease had already spread to his internal organs and it would be a matter of years before his body failed him. Here he was now, six years later, at the brink of death and Itachi couldn't be any happier, that he was finally going to get rid of this constant blinding pain he had been suffering through since birth.

Uchiha Fugaku wouldn't accept that the future Heir of the Uchiha Clan was going to die from a mere disease and demanded the medics to give him medicines to prolong his life as much as possible. However, a strict 'no' from his wife, Uchiha Mikoto, and weeks of arguments from her had him utterly defeated. Still, the Heir of the Uchiha Clan should not show weakness to anyone other than him and his wife and so, they kept it a secret from everyone and he had the medics who were in charge of his diagnosis to keep quiet about that fact. Itachi was forced by his father to act tough in front of the Uchiha members and no matter how many times Mikoto protested; Fugaku would just have none of it.

As a result, Itachi was forced to attend the academy at a very young age because of his natural talent as a shinobi and now at the age of six, he was already a genin and Konoha's most prized possession. However, his time was already up and Mikoto demanded her husband to stop forcing her son to continue his shinobi path.

Now, Itachi, frail and weak Itachi, was sitting on his mother's lap, awaiting death eagerly. His six-year-old mind, which rivalled that of a fully grown man, was accepting the fact that he was going to die and the only two things he was going to regret leaving were his mother and one-year-old brother, Sasuke.

He would have loved to watch him grow up, he silently mused.

Mikoto started singing a sweet and beautiful lullaby, a song that had always managed to calm the quivering, young shinobi down. The tired mother pulled her son's jet, black hair out of his eyes as her lips grazed his forehead sweetly.

Caressing his face, she smiled when Itachi managed to finally take in a deep, long breath, something that had been so hard for him to do lately. She ran her hands through his soft, silky locks and pulled him towards her more tightly, resting her cheek softly on his head.

"It's going to be okay, it will all be over soon, Itachi-chan," The mother whispered gently as she felt his tears streaming down his feverish, porcelain face.

The young child never cried in front of anyone but his mother because she never looked at him as a shinobi, but as a child, _her _child. She kissed his eyelids, trying to erase the thick patches of tears that just wouldn't stop coming out.

_

* * *

Itachi_

Snuggling more into his mother's warm embrace, the child breathed in her soothing scent and smiled slightly once he heard her started singing him another lullaby.

His favorite one.

He glanced at her briefly, silently thanking her for everything she had done. Mikoto caught his eyes for a split second when she felt him shift and smiled as she went back to closing her eyes and singing his lullaby.

Itachi hadn't spoken a single word for a week now, ever since his father looked at him with disapproval, claiming that he was no son of his. It was better if he didn't speak thought, his throat wouldn't hurt as much if he stayed quiet.

She didn't mind though, he knew his actions spoke more than words to her.

He kept opening his eyes and seeking her warmth, even when the throbbing in his chest wouldn't stop increasing. His mama said that it will be all over soon so he just sat there and waited, waited as minutes became hours and days. It was okay though, because his mama was always by his side; singing to him, soothing him, rocking him, and embracing him. He felt safe because he loved his mama and she always made the pain a little bit less.

_

* * *

Mikoto_

After getting rid of another bloody and agonizing coughing episode, Mikoto gently wiped away the small amount of blood that strayed on his lips and went to further sooth the crying six-year-old child, who weighted so little and meant infinitely more to her.

Once she made sure his crying had finally subsided, she began singing to him again while rocking him gently and constantly running her hands through his hair. This time, she noticed how his orbs trailed towards hers. The same exact shades stared right back and she saw his big, beautiful onyx eyes watching her intently as she sang.

It was as if he knew he was leaving soon;

_Oh how right he was._

Forcing a gentle, motherly smile on her face as the lullaby ended, the mother kept staring into his hypnotizing eyes, eyes that have suffered tremendously throughout their lives. The fragile mother caressed her child's soft cheek with her trembling thumb and painfully watched as he unconsciously leaned towards it, midnight orbs closing slightly to memorize this feeling of…love he was getting.

"I love you, Itachi…" Mikoto whispered into his ears gently as he heard his breath hitch like it always did from the pain. Painkiller couldn't even erase the consequences of the disease completely and the mother blocked the tears that were threatening to come out. Just a little bit more to go. Mikoto knew that when she felt his heartbeat slowing down and his body heat leaving him.

_

* * *

Itachi_

"Mama loves you_ so so much_." She sobbed softly as she kissed his forehead again.

Itachi kept watching his mother the whole time, feeling the warm tears dropping on his face in streams. She was crying for him and she looked so pretty when she did that, she always looked pretty.

_He secretly wondered if she was an angel._

Ignoring his muscles protest, he slowly raised his arm and hands slowly traced his mother's face, trying to rub away the tears.

_

* * *

Mikoto_

Itachi kept looking at her, unable to say anything after what she said because of his aching throat, but she knew…

She knew that he loved her back, because he was her son, her six-year-old boy.

His cold, tiny hand strayed on her face and she turned to kiss his wet fingers before his arm betrayed him and slumped on his lap.

Mikoto watched as her son lowered his orbs in disappointment and so, she held that same hand and pressed it gently to her heart, capturing back Itachi attention once again. She kept her eyes on him and inhaled sharply when his fingers weakly wrapped around her dress. Fighting back the lump that made its way to her throat, the mother continued talking to her child to distract him a bit.

"Mama will miss you when you go to heaven, but don't worry. I will join you soon, no matter how many years pass, wait for me okay? Oh, and watch over Sasuke-chan for me. You are now mama and Sasuke's angel" she murmured softly as she rubbed her cheek with his and noticed how he tried breathing deeply to smell her scent.

When they broke apart from the one-sided hug, he looked at her with a face full of wonderment and awe at what she just did to him. Mikoto chuckled at his beautiful, childish expression and kept smiling through her tears, even after his heartbeat slowed down to a dangerously low rate, even after he stopped shaking from pain.

Her tears though kept coming out as she forcefully watched her child's onyx orbs (orbs she will miss so much) start closing ever so slowly. It was like he was trying to look at her as much as he could.

She felt his grip on her slacken and watched as he took his last breath and as his glazed eyes lost its shine.

Once his eyes were completely closed and she couldn't feel a pulse nor a shaky breath, the mother's smile finally crumbled and the tears increased tenfold. Sobs wracked her body as her trembling arms held her child tightly and kissed his forehead lovingly.

His time was finally up ad she was glad he was finally at peace.

Once she finally raised her head from in between his neck, she breathed in deeply, trying to control herself as she repeatedly told him words she always told him.

"Mama loves you Itachi-chan. Sweet dreams."

* * *

And there you have it. It kills me that I had to write that :( but I'd rather he dies peacefully in his mother's arms than coldly by his brother and with no shred of dignity.

Please review

Sadbird


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